A Fire Filled Weekend - La Merce

Once again it's that time of year, La Merce.  And like last year, this is a festival that gets me really excited - it's tradition reaches back hundreds of years and it is a celebration that is truly Catalan in nature.  From the gegantes to the castellers and of course, the correfoc, there are festivities for the old and young alike that last all weekend long.

According to the information I have from the schedule of events, the history of La Merce dates back to September 24, 1218.  It was here that "Our Lady of Merce - La Merce - appeard before King James I and Saint Peter Nolasco, ordering them to found the Mercedarian Order to free the faithful who were prisoners of the Saracens."  It continues "This manifestation of the Vigin was made patron saint of Barcelona later when, in 1687, the city overcame a terrible plague of locusts after offering up prayers to her.  Nearly 200 years later, Pope Pius IX officially recognized La Merce as the city's patron saint and the people of Barcelona began to celebrate Her feast, though the current format of programme featuring Catalan traditions was not adopted til the late 19th century". 

On Friday night we decided as a special treat for the boys we would take them to the fireworks display down at the beach.  Now normally at home, fireworks start around 9.  But not here, they don't start til 10. And for kids that normally go to bed at 7:30 that was most definitely a stretch.  So we took them to dinner at CDLC, our favorite restaurant on the water and one with a great view of the fireworks.  As many of you may or may not know, restaurants don't even open here til around 8:30, so you can imagine their mood by the time we got to dinner - hungry, tired and grumpy.  But they made it thru the meal, almost falling asleep at the table, and then they got to watch the fireworks.  Both agreed it was worth it.  And both fell asleep in the cab on the way home!

Waiting for Josh at the metro station - Aidan's comment when we got off the train "weird, it's still sunny at our house but it's dark here"... I had to explain that the sun had set while we were on the train and yes, we were still near home...

Super excited about the fireworks!

My little pumpkin!

On Saturday we were supposed to meet up with one of Aidan's classmates and her family but unfortunately it was raining pretty hard out.  I was all excited to wear my newly purchased rainboots, but the boys were having nothing to do with going out in the rain even if it meant not getting to see the gegantes and castellers.  In the end it turned out that the events were cancelled due to the rain, but it was a bummer nonetheless as it was something we really enjoyed last year.

So on Sunday, I was determined for us to get out of the house for more La Merce events.  We went down to Ciutadella Park where there was supposed to be members of the Bolshoi circus performing as well as many other kid friendly activities.  But alas, there were lines everywhere and tons of crowds, not to mention not a single stage we saw had any performances going on.  In the end, we made do with lunch and then the zoo.  A chilled out kind of a day since Josh and I had big plans for Sunday night - CORREFOC!!!

If you read my blog last year, you probably will remember the Correfoc.  Literally translated, it means FIRE RUN!  Yes, running with fire.  Ahhhh Spain, you amaze me with your liberal nature.  This is something that never in a zillion years (not even a million, seriously, would never ever happen) happen at home.  People in the streets with sparklers and not just any sparklers, but sparklers that are spinning on the ends of pitchforks or coming out of the mouths of dragons, and people dressed as horses and other animals. 

We met up with friends at 7:30 and walked down to where the Gates of Hell were set up on Via Laietana.  At 8:30 the gates of hell are opened and the devils begin their run down Via Laietana and along the way they are running into the crowds of people.  Many people dance with the devils as their firey spray rains down on them.  My insane husband was one of them.  Yes, he was... and he got the majority of these insane pictures you are about to see.  I think we are lucky that none of us ended up in the emergency room or with any serious burns! 

For the videos I took of some of the Correfoc, check them out here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/jediknightsmarcus#p/a/u/2/aDOPRxvzm7A 

This is part of the opening ceremony before the Gates of Hell are opened for the devils to run thru!

http://www.youtube.com/user/jediknightsmarcus#p/a/u/1/6VdWY5xnSio

This is when the Gates of Hell have opened and the parade of running devils begins!

http://www.youtube.com/user/jediknightsmarcus#p/a/u/0/kyxXSIb6FCI

Devils running into the crowds with fire!

The Gates of Hell in the background

Liquid Courage???

A moment where I dared to remove my hood!

My insane husband on the left in the green shirt with baseball hat is taking pictures right under the fire!  Wish I could have gotten a better shot of him!

I came home to sad news on Sunday night but in a way I'm thankful that I got to go to the Correfoc because to me, it's a part of this living life to the fullest philosophy that I'm trying to embrace while I live here.  I don't want any regrets when we go back about things we wished we'd experienced!  And this is a tradition that I will most definitely miss when we go home.  It's something we could never do at home and it is truly a part of the nature of Barcelona and it's insanity!!

Julie

Growing Up...

This weekend is La Merce - a festival we attended last year with stroller in tow for Liam.  It was a festival full of huge crowds and the stroller was most definitely something that slowed us down.  But at 3, Liam couldn't walk far distances and tired easily.  This year, the stroller is being left behind.  Liam is almost 4 1/2 now and is constantly impressing me with his capabilities.

The boys are growing up.  When we were on our way to the airport in January 2010 to move to Barcelona, Josh forgot our stroller at home.  I freaked out and insisted that our driver stop at the closest Babies R Us to pick up a new one to take to BCN.  How in the world would we be able to function in a city with a 2 1/2 year old without a stroller?  It's hard for me to believe that in just over a year and a half we are past that stage in our children's lives and that they can function on a different level than they used to, both physically and emotionally.

Now they walk everywhere and don't whine about it, at least most of the time.  When I used to pick them up at school last year I would haul the stroller with me so that Liam wouldn't need to walk the full mile and a half distance that wasn't covered by a train.  And on the days I would leave the stroller behind I would find myself carrying him most of it. Fast forward to this year, not once has he asked me to carry him.  He covers the distance like a trooper.  And it's only one example of how much he's grown in the last year. 

Liam is maturing differently than Aidan did, like all kids, they have such different personalities.  Their milestones are different as are their interests.  Liam is speaking Spanish more and more frequently, something I'd always hoped he would do when we moved here but never knew if it would happen.  When we were home this summer he asked when we were going home to Barcelona.  To him, this is home.  And this has been a place where a lot of his emotional growth has happened, not to mention his physical growth these days as he's getting to be a tall kid! 

Aidan's milestones are school related - reading, math, science, social studies... physically, he's getting taller, he's up to my chest now.  By the time he's 10 I have no doubt he'll be taller than me.  He's lost 5 teeth now and his face has changed to reflect his new, larger, adult teeth.  His focus is very different than Liam.  He's in jiu jitsu these days which requires him to be able to focus on each move and each instruction (which are often in Spanish though the instructor also speaks English to him).  He's had a tough time adjusting to life here and for almost a year and a half he was pretty miserable, but I think we've turned a corner - I see more smiles and he talks more about the things he enjoys here, one being the La Merce festival this weekend! 

Both kids are self sufficient at school.  They go to school on a campus and know what building they are in, how to get there and when they get off the bus (2 blocks away from the school), Aidan has no problems getting to where he needs to go, while Liam, since he is 4 is still escorted by a chaperone, and for that I'm thankful!  When I pick them up, I can see they are comfortable in their environment.  They've grown up in this school system essentially and know their way around campus and it's most interesting to hear Liam talk about schools and his different teachers for his specialities and what he's learned.  Most often when I ask him how school was, he gives me the thumbs up and then tells me "thumbs up mommy".  He's a riot that kid! 

And in a way they are growing up in this city.  I know we will not be here forever but we are here during some key formative years.  They have become city saavy which is something I never expected and they were like that very early into our time here.  From living on a cul-de-sac in Attleboro where we would tell them to look both ways before crossing the street (most of the time it was ignored because what cars were around???) to living in an urban neighborhood where the cars are everywhere and they won't hesitate to hit you if you cross without looking first!  And they get it... they understand that they need to wait for the green walk light AND that they still need to look since they know not everyone stops just because the walk light has turned green.  They don't get too far ahead of us when walking thru the city and they know what areas they need to stick close by us compared to when we walk in our own neighborhood.  Aidan is even getting little tastes of freedom - for instance he's allowed to leave for his jiu jitsu before Liam and I and walk there himself.  We are on a small side street and his class is 2 buildings over from us, a 30 second walk.  But he does it on his own and is so proud to do it!  Will he be walking himself to the bus stop any time soon, hell no!  But 2 buildings is enough freedom in a city for me at age 7! 

They are not only city saavy when it comes to knowing their boundries but they also know their way around.  Just like Aidan always knew his landmarks at home in the burbs and on the cape, he knows them here.  Often I'll ask him how we get home from somewhere or I'll take a different route to get to a destination and he'll call me on it.  He knows his surroundings for sure.  And even Liam can chime in pretty often about where he is or what we are near. 

I think it's amazing watching your kids grow anywhere in the world, but to me it's fascinating to see how they have grown and matured in a foreign environment and to see the world and understand it from a different perspective.  To see if they can understand that this is not a "normal" life compared to their friends from home.  For that matter it's not a normal life for most people, not just our friends at home.  The ex-pat community is a small one and I hope that someday they understand what a gift this opportunity has been for us to be able to give them this experience.  I want them to see that the world is bigger than just Massachusetts or Attleboro and I think they are slowly understanding that.  They know that they have friends that are from all over the world.  And to view this experience thru their eyes has also helped me to grow, even in my 30s :)  They enjoy the travel (Liam more than Aidan) and are curious about the places we visit and are thirsty for more knowledge, another sign of their growing up. 

I've learned so much from my kids during our time here in Barcelona.  The time here is going by quickly and before you know it, they will be 6 and 9 and we'll be heading back home.  But until then, I'm just going to try to slow time down a little bit and enjoy the last bits of them being my babies still.

Julie

Not Everyday Can Be Sunshine and Roses...

I think that statement applies no matter where you live.  You have good days and bad days no matter your location.  But I think that when you live in a place where your daily life has lost the simplicity that you had at home (not that life at home is simple, mind you, but the daily tasks are just that, tasks and not challenges), it doesn't take all that much to trigger a bad day.  Yesterday was my bad day.

I haven't had a bad emotional day here in quite some time so it was almost a good thing to have reality kicking my butt a little bit.  Sometimes you need a bad day to make you appreciate the good in life and that really, I have very little to feel sorry for myself about. 

Yesterday I missed home like I hadn't missed home in a long time, to the point where I ached inside and felt teary most of the day.  I'm a believer in that time and distance makes the pain go away.  Josh and I have been talking about home a lot lately, not for any particular reason.  We've talked about the car I'll get when I go home (last year we rented a BMW 5 Series sedan for a long weekend and I told Josh it was my dream car if they would make it in a wagon... at the time they weren't but guess what, they are now... just not in the States), about the changes we need to make to our house, about some upgrades we need to do on our house on the cape.  And of course about school for the kids.  The final insult was that I had a portion of my blog printed into a book which arrived at Josh's work yesterday - it's the prequel to our arrival in BCN so it's filled with emotional entries about leaving.  So home has been on my mind already and we still have a little less than 2 years here!  And I think the fact that I did not overschedule myself this week with appointments, lunches, etc on top of work (which I tend to do, perhaps for a reason?) meant that I was home a lot this week... by myself... all week.  There's nothing like lonliness to bring out the sadness in someone! 

I'll always miss home no matter where I am, but I know that eventually I'll be back there.  I stay in touch with my friends and my family but sometimes it's just not enough.  I made a decision in August that I would not be going home this fall as I had last year.  The flights were costly and we had just come off 8 straight weeks of travel which was not cheap.  So I couldn't in good mind spend more money to go home by myself for yet another vacation.  And with two trips home next year already in the works, I decided to forgo this one. 

I will also admit to some frustration with our lack of visitors.  Now let me preface that to say that I understand it is not cheap to come to Barcelona and that most of the people who would visit us have kids (though not all) and that adds to the cost.  But that doesn't make it any less frustrating or sad for me to know that we have had so few visitors and literally none on the horizon for the coming year as of now.  I've made three trips home so far... none have been cheap and all have been very stressful for me trying to get in visits with everyone amongst other things.  I guess it was making me feel sad to feel that I could put myself out to everyone and yet very few had made that effort for me and my family.  I know it's not realistic and it's a bit of a selfish view, but that's how I was feeling yesterday and if this blog is supposed to be about our true journey here, then I can't disregard those feelings. 

At the same time of feeling resentful of those not visiting, I was also having regrets for not going home this fall.  I tried to convince myself that if I could find a good flight (which actually I did, $500), this time I wouldn't stress myself out when I went home.  And that I wouldn't overschedule myself to the point of being ill like my last 2 visits.  And while trying to convince myself of this, I think I made it worse.  Because it made me realize how much in limbo I am in my life.  I don't feel as though I belong in a sense, but that I'm a visitor at home.  I'm sure that will change when we make Attleboro our permanent home again, but for now, it's not.  That feeling of limbo is not a great feeling...

So what did I do when I realized I was having a bad day?  I worked on my holiday cards.  The holidays, my FAVORITE time at home.  How stupid am I??  I was looking thru pictures of the summer to use for my cards and of course we were home for almost 3 weeks of the summer.  In front of my face are all the people I've missed so much and all of the kids friends.  It made me ache with a need to go home.  But then I end up once again in limbo because I really do like it here and the travel bug has most definitely bitten me.  Not to mention the fact that the challenges I'm presented with here are so different than what I had at home and I like that. 

But I digress...this entry isn't about why I like Barcelona and trying to defend that feeling.  It's about being honest about the fact that while I do like it here and I'm comfortable here, there will always be a draw to home and to my friends and family there.  And that somedays, it's worse than others.  There are many days where I don't give more than 2 minutes thought to home and others where it overwhelms me, like yesterday. 

Today is a new day and I'm feeling refreshed and back to "normal" whatever that is.  The La Merce festival is this weekend and it's one of my favorites here.  I'm looking forward to late dinner with my family, a big treat for the kids, and then fireworks tonight.  Home is still there, I still miss it and everything about it, but for now, I will make the best of my time here.  And I will take the time to recognize that while the weather in Barcelona is 80 degrees and sunny right now, it does rain sometimes...

Julie

World Car Free Day

If you asked me two years ago if I'd ever heard of World Car Free Day, I'd say no.  If you asked me 5 minutes ago, I'd still say no.  I've been thinking about a blog entry regarding us being car-less in Barcelona for quite some time but just hadn't written it.  So when I was on www.drudgereport.com this morning and saw the headline "MA Gov. Caught Riding in SUV on First Day of Self-Declared 'Car-Free Week'"  I was intrigued as you can imagine.  The article itself wasn't all that exciting.  Gov Patrick was supposed to be car free and as the title declares, he was caught driving.  But what did get my attention is that this Car-Free Week in Massachusetts is actually an expansion of “World Car-Free Day” — which is Thursday.

So I thought I'd take the opportunity to expand upon my last entryabout city life which for us means no car and combine it with this World Car Free day.  One of the biggest changes we had to face when moving to Barcelona, aside from the language, was living car free.  We consciously made the decision to not have a car here.  Our thought was that we were in the city 5 days a week for work and school and that most weekends we would be relaxing or travelling and so we could rent a car when necessary. 

For a girl who pretty much lived in her car this was a big change!  I'm a driver.  I love to drive.  I hate it when others drive, a control issue, I know, but one that I've been forced to deal with her as well.  It didn't matter if I had to drive for hours I loved being behind the wheel.  The process of leaving my car happened in stages - I sold my car (a minivan... which I did not love, just the driving part!) in a day.  Something I never would have anticipated.  So I immediately went to a rental car.  Now anyone who has driven a rental car for any length of time will tell you that there really is nothing pleasurable about it.  And once Josh left for Barcelona, a month ahead of the kids and myself, I took his car, which before now, I didn't particularly care to drive. 

When we arrived in Barcelona, we were all pretty overwhelmed by ... well everything.  So I didn't get a lot of opportunity at first to miss driving.  For at least a month everything was pretty surreal that it felt like we were more on an extended vacation so I wasn't giving much thought to not driving.  But by February, when it was rainy and cold and Liam and I would stay inside on days it would rain because I didn't want to drag him out in the rain to go to the grocery store, I realized how much I missed my car. 

But like most things, time and distance dulls the pain of the loss.  So as winter turned to spring and Liam and I were walking all over the city, I started to realize how much I actually liked walking around the city and running errands.  I still missed my car - the ease of getting to each place and to be able to throw my purchases in the trunk and not look back.  But Josh pointed out how much money we were saving, not just because we didn't have the car payment, insurance or in the case in the city, parking... the inability to have such easy access to throwing things in the car had me thinking first about my purchases before I made them knowing that I would need to then haul them all the way home and sometimes, especially with a stroller and toddler in tow, that was enough to make me realize that, eh, I don't really need that item after all. 

I looked at the city with a new perspective by walking and not driving.  I have been able to take my time, to appreciate the beauty that surrounds me.  I can tune out most of the noise at this point and it's become almost as natural as the sounds of nature that had been a part of my life for 34 years.  I feel that I'm being kinder to the environment and reducing my carbon footprint (though perhaps in all the driving I did this summer I might have made up for a year of not driving).  I'm getting more exercise, thereby leading a healthier lifestyle.  And I'm teaching my children that you don't need a car to get to places.  That in some parts of the world and of course in this country as well, a car is essential but that we don't need to drive everywhere. 

Aidan had asked me if we would drive or walk to the grocery store when we move back home someday.  The grocery store is about 1/4 mile from my house.  The only reason I could see why we would need to is that at home we shop for a week at a time and not a day at a time.  Not to mention after watching Food Inc, I think I'll be shopping at Whole Foods which definitely requires a trip in the car!  But I digress... if you asked me 2 years ago if I would drive my car to the grocery store or walk, my automatic response would be "duh, drive of course".  Because that's what we did.  And I think there is a perception that goes along with it.  If you live in the burbs and are walking to the grocery store, I think the consensus that people have is that you must not be able to afford a car.  You know what, who cares what they think?  We are a car driven society and we are also an obese society.  Do the two go hand and hand?  Maybe to a degree. 

We went to the Netherlands in April and I'd heard before that it was a country where everyone bikes everywhere.  Nothing could have prepared me for the amount of bicycles that I saw on the road.  It's true, everyone bikes there.  I even saw a woman who had to be at least 5 months pregnant with one child in the front and one child in the back of the bike - and she was peddling like it was no big deal.  Everyone was.  Because this is their lifestyle and their bodies have adjusted.  In Barcelona we have a program called Bicing.  It's a bike borrowing type of program.  For a minimal amount of money for a membership you receive a card which you swipe at a Bicing station and then you have 3 hours before you have to return the bike to another station somewhere else in the city.  Most people I know take advantage of Bicing.  I'll tell the truth... I don't, but only because I prefer to walk and I have my bike here so if I am really hankering for a bike ride, I'll take that.  I've read recently that Boston has recently launched a similar program.  It sounds like it's been slow to catch on but hopefully with all the green movements these days, it will. 

So this Thursday, when it's World Car Free Day, give it a shot.  Walk more.  Walk to the grocery store.  Walk to the park.  Walk or bike to work (or take a train and then walk).  Commute with a friend rather than on your own, using less gas and reducing the loads on the highway and of course, being greener.  And don't just do it for one day.  I know it's hard to do every day, but every day try to drive less and walk or bike more.  You'll not only make a difference in the environment, but I bet you'll see a difference in yourself.  I'm not trying to convert my readers but in the almost 2 years we've been here, it's something I've become much more passionate about - being more conscious of my carbon footprint and the environment.   More than 40 countries are participating in this event with over 1000 cities.  What have you got to lose?

Julie

Living the City Life

Last summer (2010) when my best friend Michelle was visiting me we had several conversations about my adjustment to life in Barcelona.  One of the most eye opening things was something she said to me one day as we were talking about buying my muffin pan at the hardware store.  She said "You aren't just adjusting to life in Barcelona but to city life too".  Apparently in Boston you also get your muffin pan at the hardware store according to Michelle, who's lived in Boston proper for about 15 years now. 

So fast forward to September 2011 - almost halfway thru our time here in Barcelona and I've come to a conclusion that I never in a million years thought that I would come to.  I like the city life.  Yes, there I said it... I like it! 

Now bear in mind that I was cool with us moving to the city when we decided to move here.  I agreed with Josh that in order to truly experience life in Spain (at least for me), we needed to be in the heart of the city and not in the burbs where we had spent our entire lives.  Not even when we lived in Massachusetts had we ever lived in the actual city... Waltham, Newton, yes, but not in the city.  And now when I contemplate moving to the burbs here, it's not for me, but for the kids.  They are at an age where I definitely think they need a yard and an ability to play outdoors on something more than concrete.  The parks here are dirt, not grass.  But when I think about the possibility of moving out of the city, it makes me anxious - this is where EVERYTHING is and where I can walk to everything as well. 

I'm a country girl at heart.  Not hearing the crickets or tree frogs at night took some getting used to.  Trading in the sounds of nature for the sounds of cars, horns and lots of voices.  So did not seeing grass for days or weeks at a time and when you did see it, it was certainly not for playing on but for all the dogs in the city to use as a toilet.  I never thought I'd have to tell my kids on a regular basis to stay off the grass!! 

However, that being said, I do miss the country and lots of things about it.  Last year we went to Provence in October.  While we had taken several vacations before that, none of the places we stayed had a yard or much grass to play in.  We arrived at our vacation house and Aidan took a deep breath and said "mmmmm, it smells like Attleboro!".  Ok now I'm not dissing on Attleboro at all here folks but the smells in Provence are definitely different than Attleboro - come on, it's France!  However, you get the picture, the kids missed the grass and were thrilled to be in a country setting for a little bit. 

And I'm thankful for those visits where we get to have a taste of nature, even if for just a few days.  Our trip to Andorra this past weekend was made all the more special because we were leaving the city.  Trips where the kids get to explore the grass and their surroundings.  When we made a trip to Lisbon in March, Aidan insisted we bring back a peddle cart that he had waited a half hour for in order to roll in grass that we had just come upon. 

But when I think of all that we are getting out of city life as a family, I am glad that we've had this opportunity to live not only in Barcelona, but in the city.  We walk, everywhere.  When we first moved here walking a few blocks with Aidan was pretty painful, filled with constantly complaints and requests to be carried.  Liam, at 2 1/2, was stuck in his stroller most of the time.  As spring arrived this year I found myself leaving the stroller behind more and more.  We took it only on one vacation this summer that we thought would be walking intensive and hardly used it.  When I pick up the boys from school once a week I no longer haul the stroller with me but instead we walk the 1/2 mile to the commuter rail together, go down 2 stations and then walk the mile home.  Not a complaint from either of them (other than Liam always needing to drop his pants and pee somewhere... but that's more of a complaint from me that he needs to learn to pee before we leave school!).  Even they have become used to the city!

Not only are they used to the walking, but they have become very city saavy.  They know their way around.  They can get home from most places.  They use the metro and FGC (our commuter rail) proficiently.  They know every famous Gaudi building in the city and can point them out... ok, well Liam isn't there yet, but Aidan is.  But Liam can point out anything Barca!!  They know to stop at every crosswalk and they know that the two crosswalks right before our apartment can be crossed without waiting for us (they are both deadends and rarely have a car coming down them), the only ones that they are allowed to cross without us. 

Josh loves the easy commute within the city.  He takes the metro to work and rather than sitting in 55 miles of traffic on 128, he can now chill with a book for the 25 min subway ride into work - he doesn't have to change lines, he doesn't have to get into a car.  He walks about 5 mins on either side of the metro between home and work and loves that he can do that year round.

I love walking everywhere.  When I've gone home and when I've gone on vacations to non city areas, I've found that after a few days I feel a bit blech after not walking much.  The first time it took me a bit to realize that in a way I'd been getting significantly less exercise and that was really affecting my mood and energy.  I walk on average 3-5 miles a day depending on what I'm doing (though honestly today was only about a mile and a half but that's because I've been home all day with the exception of some grocery shopping).  I walk to shopping areas, walk to meet up with friends and of course walk to do all of my grocery shopping.

So will you see us moving to the city when we move back home eventually?  No, no way... we won't be doing that.  The difference is multi fold.  First off, winters here are mild.  Last year Aidan wore his winter jacket I think 3 times.  You can be outside all year long and yes it gets chilly but I won't be pulling my granny cart of groceries thru several feet of snow and slush here.  That's my big reason why I wouldn't be in the city at home.  Another is that the kids need to be in a neighborhood and have their yard again and be able to freely ride their bikes and play in the streets with their friends.  Finally, being in the burbs is "normal" for me at home.  It's what I've always done and can't imagine living anywhere else.  I love the burbs and everything about them.   I'll just have to start walking more!!

Julie

We Adore... Andorra

Nestled in the Pyrenees between Spain and France lies the Principality of Andorra.  It is the smallest of the European Union (about 1/5 the size of Rhode Island) and only about 1/3 of it's 83,000 citizens are actually from Andorra, but that doesn't mean much when it comes to what it has to offer... great shopping (much of it tax free), lots of outdoor sports, fabulous weather and pristine views of mountains and valleys as far as the eye can see.  The time we spent in Andorra this weekend was in Soldeu, in the northeast corner of this tiny country and I think that the entire town could be seen in under 5 minutes!  Yes, it was that tiny but soooo worth a trip for our anniversary!

We started off our trip on Saturday morning, a little later than planned and then we were only delayed once again by accidentally not staying to the right when the GPS told us to and got on the wrong highway!  20 minutes later we were on our way to Andorra, less than a 3 hour journey by car.  During the 3 hours we actually were in 3 countries which I also thought was pretty cool - Spain, France and of course, Andorra.  Interestingly enough, it was only when entering Andorra, once again need I remind you, the tiniest country in the EU, that we saw anyone from customs. 

Amusing sign - usually I don't see them look so comic-like...

By now we had been driving thru the Pyrenees for quite a while and while these mountains make many in NH seem rather small, it was still very reminiscent of home, without the fall foliage.  The drive was stunning.  And in between many of the mountains were small villages that had houses that appeared to be hundreds of years old with slate tile roofs, the slate never the same size twice which only added to not only it's authenticity in my mind, but the simplicity of life here - you take what you can get. 

The view from the gas station on our way to Andorra - yes the gas station, lucky them!

A little after one, after driving along many switchbacks to inch our way up the mountain, we arrived at the Sport Hotel Hermitage in the town of Soldeu.  Soldeu was about as big as my apartment and I think the Sport Hotel group owns pretty much all of it.  They certainly have a monopoly for sure!  This is an area that focuses on outdoor sports - skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking - if it's outdoors, they probably have it.  The hotel is more than happy to organize any excurisions you like, though for this particular trip, Josh and I only have relaxation in mind!

The hotel itself was gorgeous.  It had the typical feel of a lodge to it with wood beams, views of the river below and the smell of the spa throughout the entire hotel which made you relax just by inhaling the calming scent.  The only thing Josh and I noticed was that it seemed to lack fireplaces given that it's peak season is in the winter ski season.  We only saw one... but ah well, tons of comfy chairs to sit in, a nice bar and stunning views!  http://www.hermitagehotel.sporthotelsandorra.co.uk/ 

View of the entrance to the Sport Hotel Hermitage

The hotel goes down a few blocks on the left side, it's huge!

And the view in the other direction, not so bad!

 Part of the lobby

Another view of the lobby

Nice place for lunch!

Our room was luxurious, all browns and warm tones.  With bathrobes perched on the bed, normally they would go unnoticed, but these were warm, fuzzy and brown which just only added to the luxury as far as we were concerned.  We had a balcony with two chairs and a small table in which to take in the view.  After a quick lunch by the picture window overlooking the mountain, we decided to head to the spa before our first treatments.  After all, the spa was 4 floors and needed to be seen!!

My super cozy brown bathrobe!

Our balcony

View from our room - I bet in the winter when it's covered in snow it looks even more amazing!

View to the right of our room

View to the left of our room

You can't really see it but there was a small river running between the trees below us - we kept the door open all night and it was so nice to hear nature at night instead of cars!

The spa, the Sport Wellness Center, http://www.sportwellness.ad/en, also took great advantage of the view with all of the main facitilies overlooking the mountains in front of us.  The first main floor had 4 large hot tubs (I'd say big enough for 15 people at least!) though thankfully because we were off season there were very few people and Josh and I got to soak by ourselves.  We had a good laugh because all 4 hot tubs were lined up next to each other and our bubbles stopped about 2 minutes into our relaxation.  Josh tried pushing the buttons but to no avail.  There were still some jets but no bubbles... hmmm... about 10 minutes goes by and we see the tub next to us stop bubbling when all of a sudden our jets come back on full force, enough so to splash us in the face.  Turns out the system alternates every other tub with the jets so that they aren't constantly on.  Makes sense and gave us a good laugh or two! 

View of the spa from the top floor - you can see all the way down 4 stories to the bottom pool!

From there we went down to the pool, and oh my, I've never seen a pool so luxurious in my life!!  First off when most places say they have a heated pool, it's not really all that warm.  Perhaps tepid if you are lucky... just not as cold as it would be if you were outside in the dead of winter.  This pool was not only heated, but so warm it was almost too hot!!  Within the pool which took up the entire floor and was broken up into sections, there were several areas that had tiled beds built into the side that had jets - so you could lay into the bed while being in the pool and get a massage.  There were waterfalls that felt very cool as they splashed onto your head and then there were ones that were more like super powerful showerheads, though they were a little too powerful and kind of made my neck hurt a bit.  Then you had the option to swim outside via a small curtain that cut off the inside from the cold outside. 

After our swim we dried off and got ready for our first treatments.  As a part of our anniversary weekend away I had arranged for a couples spa package which included a massage (hot and COLD stone), a facial and a scrub that included a milk bath and massage.  The first day we had the massage and facial and it was Josh's first facial... I think he may be hooked as he's been obsessed with his skin ever since and asking me how often he should do this! 

Sadly the massage finally came to an end and it was time to leave the spa to get ready for dinner in the hotel.  Much to our surprise we came back to our room to see a bottle of cava chilling for us!  We weren't aware that it came with our room, but hey, when in Rome (or in this case Andorra), do as the Romans do and drink up!  So we toasted to a wonderful, relaxing weekend and got ready for dinner.

A nice surprise!!!

Sadly dinner was a bit of a disappointment.  The Hermitage is supposed to be a 5 star hotel and so we expected the same of their restaurant.  Not only was the food subpar but so was the service.  The waitstaff seemed hurried and were not knowledgeable of the food or wine when we asked questions and for recommendations.  Now I don't expect my waiter to be knowledgeable when I go to Bertucci's but I do when I dine at somewhere that's supposed to be considered upscale!  The final insult was the desert that was supposed to be an Austrian Black Chocolate Tart... yum... but yet it wasn't.  It was like a very dry brownie with some whipped cream stuck between slices.  We finally had to ask for that one to be taken off the bill and left the restaurant most definitely disappointed but at least we still had another morning of spa to look forward to!!

Sunday morning we awoke to some rain and chilly temps.  You could see the fog rising to the right and left of us and there was a chill in the air that hadn't been there the day before.  

Fog rising

"Better??" view of the river below us...

We had our final spa treatment mid morning and it was a great way to end a relaxing weekend.  A scrub with spices like cinnamon and then a milk bath followed with a massage.  Ahhhh, spa!!!  But alas all good things must come to an end and so we packed it up after the spa and asked for a lunch recommendation in the area.  She suggested going in to Soldeu further, about 1km away from where we were.  We drove into "town" if you could call it that - it was literally one street though a beautiful street by far!  And since it was still off season and Sunday much was still closed.  We found the restaurant and had a great pizza and French onion soup for lunch... yum!

Then it was time for the long drive home.  At least it was scenic!!  The fog was slowly rising and after going thru a short tunnel suddenly we could barely see in front of us.  This isn't fun when you are driving on a straight a way, imagine it on roads that took sudden 90 degree turns.  Yeah, stressful... at least for me.  This was Josh in his element and he kept commenting about how he'd love to drive these roads in a Porsche.  Note to self, if Josh decides to go up here to go skiing, I need to arrange for the rental car and make sure it's a Ford!!

Driving thru town

Some more of our hotel

All the hotels are perched on the side of the cliff looking into the valley

Cool slate roof on this barn - we saw a lot of this style driving thru France (not so much in Spain)

More of town

And of our hotel

Once we got to the base of the mountain we were no longer engulfed in the fog but it was amazing to look up so high and see where it was so dense that you couldn't see the mountain and know that we were just up there!  We managed to get home just before 5PM.  Our 2 days away felt like 5 UNTIL we walked in the door and were bombarded with whiny children.  Ahhh well, only 2 weeks left until our next trip!! 

Julie